eBay's masking of email addresses

[coxengines]

As we all should be aware by now, eBay has reverted to fully masking the email addresses of mail exchanged via the messaging system. The email remains masked even after a buyer has purchased and paid, although the email address does get displayed in the body of the mail after a buyer has paid for a purchase. The email address may also be culled from the Sold page when a purchase has been made.

This presents some challenges for sellers. Not only is the messaging system archaic, it does not permit scalable fonts, sizes, proper formatting and also limits the length of a message. Furthermore, it does not offer unlimited and easy searches.

Our email database goes back 12 years, currently comprises over 800,000 emails and our communications system risks being comprised by this eBay move.

The worst thing is that eBay, at their discretion, suppresses emails. Potential buyers then think that we have not responded.

Recently, with the assistance of a competitor, we spent the better part of a morning testing the system. Messages exchanged ranged from the innocuous to blatant policy violations. Following are some results:

Messages that included links to our outside of eBay store, offering to sell directly, were suppressed.

Messages that included links to a (non-existent) outside of eBay store, offering to sell directly, were sometimes suppressed but not always.

Messages that included links to blogs outside of eBay were sometimes suppressed but not always. (For us that’s a problem as we deal with collectors that request difficult to find items, not available on eBay. Instead of brushing them off, we prefer to point them in the right direction)

Requests to provide a real email address were generally delivered.

I am looking for input / comments / suggestions from you guys and gals and how you are coping with this.

I am obviously not interested in informing a potential buyer of our other store on first contact (that is done in the shipping confirmation once they have made an initial purchase) but the messaging system is so restrictive that it affects our business. We have a 5.0 DSR for Communication but it may be a challenge to maintain this with the mail changes.

Bernie

[jakeeangel]

I hate using their system to 'communicate' with my buyers and potential buyers. It's big brother monitoring the communications which bothers me.

I have no choice in the matter though, so I deal as best as I can even though I don't like it.

I do get the buyer's email address in the Item Sold notice from eBay. I also use Blackthorne which gives me their email address and I keep those. *shrugs*

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Bernie,

In the *Your eBay item sold!* e-mails that I receive from eBay...there is a valid e-mail address for my buyers...not a masked one.

I also use Blackthorne which is a wealth of informaiton because every e-mail address is there at my disposal. I do mass e-mails through Blackthorne which includes links and my personal e-mail address. I've got 10 years of info there.

Like you, Bernie, I find the eBay messaging system to be the worst ever.

At one time eBay ENCOURAGED us to put our e-mail address into our listings to promote communication. They eBay in one of its changes handed down to us made us remove all e-mail addresses. Now....they are allowing them again so long as it's only for clarifying information. Yeah, right!

The eBay messaging system is just another term for BIG BROTHER.

Just my thoughts,
Susan

[coxengines]

Yes, the email address also shows on the Item Sold notification.

I understand why eBay is doing this but it's still a PITA.

I did consider adding our address as well as our toll-free tel. # to every listing but fear the bots that crawl the web to harvest addresses.

Also, we get enough calls every week from people that bought something from a competitor and need technical advice - the downside when it is us that pays for the calls.

Bernie